In Diayla province which borders Iran, saw another step towards political reconciliation. Sunni and Shi'ite tribal leaders met in Baqouba, hosted by US soldiers at Forward Operating Base Fallock
The Tamimi and Jibouri tribes, the two largest tribes in Iraq’s Diyala province, met Oct. 24 to discuss the importance of reconciliation and signed a fellowship agreement stressing cooperation and friendship between the two tribes.
The top three Shia sheiks of the Tamimi tribe and the top two Sunni sheiks of the Jibouri tribe attended the meeting, which was hosted by Diyala’s governor, Ra'ad Hameed al-Mula Jowad al-Tamimi. Six additional prominent sheiks from throughout the province were in attendance as well to discuss how reconciliation has improved their tribal areas.
All of the sheiks were clear in their goals
“We reject terrorism,” said Sheik Mazen Rashed Hamed Mula Jawad al-Tamimi, a paramount sheik in the Tamimi tribe who has been the primary leader for the reconciliation movement in Diyala. “It is a disease for the world.”
The fellowship agreement, signed by all leaders present, stated that they will cooperate in identifying tribal members who are corrupt or harboring terrorists, stop mortar attacks and in-fighting between Sunni and Shia villages and work honestly together on solutions toward a better future.
“We declare that all killings, clashes and kidnappings will stop,” said Sheik Balassem Hamed Yehia al-Hasan al-Tamimi, Tamimi’s paramount sheik. “We want to live in peace and enable our families into the future.”
But not everyone shared their sentiments
Eleven tribal leaders who had banded with U.S. troops to fight the Sunni insurgent group al-Qaeda in Iraq were kidnapped Sunday morning, the latest in a string of such attacks, fellow tribesmen said.
The Shiite and Sunni sheiks, members of the al-Salam Support Council, a group fighting al-Qaeda in Iraq in volatile Diyala province, were taken from their cars by gunmen as they were returning home from a meeting in Baghdad with a government official, the tribesmen said.
Hadi al-Anbaki, a spokesman for the mostly Shiite council, said the attack was carried out by the Mahdi Army, a militia controlled by the anti-American Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. "This was an ambush," Anbaki said.
Unfortunately for the Iranian-backed terrorists, the Iraqi security forces rose to the occasion
Iraqi forces rescued on Monday eight of the 11 tribal leaders who were kidnapped on Sunday in northern Baghdad's Al-Shaab neighbourhood. They were freed after a gunbattle with their captors.
"We have rescued eight of the hostages and are working to free the others. We killed four of the kidnappers," defence ministry spokesman Mohammed al-Askari told AFP.
The US military said the group of Shiite and Sunni tribal chiefs were kidnapped by Arkan Hasnawi, a rogue militant who had broken away from radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army.
On Sunday, a security official said the 11 tribal leaders were from a local movement in Diyala opposing Al-Qaeda in Iraq.
According to the BBC
Spokesman Maj Gen Mohammed al-Askari said the sheikhs were freed in a raid on a house following a tip off.
The troops are searching for the remaining members of the group but reports said one had been found dead.
Meanwhile, Iraqi police denied earlier reports that 20 headless bodies had been found dumped near Baquba.
Bill Roggio has more
Iraqi soldiers conducted the raid in a yet-to-be-identified region near Baghdad, likely with the aid of US Special Forces and killed four of the kidnappers. "We have rescued eight of the hostages and are working to free the others. We killed four of the kidnappers," Defense Ministry spokesman Mohammed al Askari said.
Earlier today, Multinational Forces Iraq "identified Arkan Hasnawi, a former brigade commander in Jaish Al Mahdi [Mahdi Army], as responsible for the kidnapping of Shia and Sunni tribal leaders from Diyala Province yesterday." Hasnawi was identified as a leader of a "gang of criminals" that has "joined forces with Iranian-supported Special Groups that are rejecting Muqtada al Sadr’s direction to embrace fellow Iraqis."
The identification of Hasnawi as a former Mahdi Army commander and leader in the Special Groups is new pattern of releasing the names of Shia terror leaders. In a recent briefing on the Baghdad security operation, Lieutenant General Raymond Odierno, the commander of Multinational Corps Iraq, singled out Mahdi Army commanders sheltering in Sadr city by name. Five Mahdi Army commanders were directly named.
"Unfortunately, there are some individuals who are not interested in reconciliation," Odierno said.
More precisely, there are some countries who are not interested in a free Iraq, namely Iran and Syria. And there are some Islamist organizations that are interested in a free Iraq, namely al Qaida. Reconciliation is fine with them so long as it is done under the boot of their fascist ideology.
Al Qaida is becoming less of a player in Iraq, but Shi'ite groups, especially the remnants of the Mahdi Army supported by the Iran's "Special Groups" is still active
Fighting between elements of Sadr's Mahdi Army and Iraqi Security Forces has been ongoing for months in Karbala, Diwaniyah, and Basra in the south. Sadr called for a cessation of Mahdi Army attacks after a clash in Karbala with Iraqi Security Forces during a religious festival resulted in 52 killed and over 300 wounded. The festival was shut down due to the fighting.
Sadr has been directly implicated in the Karbala fighting and is believed to be behind the assassinations of the governors of Muthanna and Qadisiyah provinces. Shia are beginning to turn on Sadr's Mahdi Army in the Baghdad stronghold of Sadr City.
And we kill 'em when we find 'em
